Great Sex, Naturally Read Online Free PDF Page A

(sexual and otherwise), improved mental functioning, and greater feelings of well-being. Typically, the more fiber in a food, the lower its glycemic index—a measurement of how quickly a food converts into sugar in your body—so you want to choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.
    — Eat high-quality, lean protein. Your body, mind, and libido rely on adequate protein to be optimally healthy. Protein serves as a precursor to important neurotransmitters, which, as you’ll discover later in this chapter, can be vital for your sexuality. Healthy protein sources include beans and legumes, eggs, nonfat dairy foods, lean chicken and turkey, and low-mercury fish and seafood.
    — Consume omega-3 essential fats, and avoid unhealthy fats. To function optimally, your entire body, including your sexual organs, needs essential fats—“essential” because your body doesn’t produce them, and you have to ingest them in your diet. There are two kinds of essential fats: omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats . As a rule, you want to increase your intake of omega-3 fats, which have a wide range of health benefits. They assist in maintaining the moisture and health of your vulvar tissues, help with your production of sex hormones, and improve your circulation—including blood flow to your sexual organs, which enhances your ability to feel aroused. Omega-3 fats aren’t often consumed in the typical Western diet. They’re abundant in fish and flax oils; hemp, chia, and pumpkin seeds; walnuts; and seafood. If you take fish oil as a supplement, the recommended daily dose is an amount containing at least 500 mg of the omega-3 fatty acid EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 300 mg of another omega-3 fatty acid, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
    Omega-6 fats are found in corn, soy, cottonseed, safflower, and sunflower oils. Most Americans eat far too many omega-6 fats; it’s generally recommended that you avoid increasing your omega-6 intake.
    Other unsexy fats to minimize in your diet include saturated fats found in beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, and whole-milk products like cheese and butter. It’s best to steer clear of all hydrogenated fats (also known as trans-fatty acids), which are found in margarines, some candy bars, and many processed foods. These fats can obstruct female (as well as male) sex-hormone production; research also shows that these fats promote hardening of the arteries, which can contribute to erectile dysfunction in men.
    — Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. By providing you with life-sustaining nutrition, vegetables support your sexuality. They should make up at least a third of your diet, and you should eat a minimum of ten servings a day whenever possible. Fruit is another important part of your Great Sex Diet, but keep in mind that it also contains a lot of simple sugar, so you may need to limit your intake. Avoid watermelon, cantaloupe, and mangoes; they’re high in fruit sugar, which can cause rapid increases, followed by steep drops, in your blood-sugar level—not good for your health or your sexual energy. In the pages ahead, we’ll explore some fruits and fruit juices that are exceptionally conducive to your overall well-being and sexual health.
    — Drink plenty of filtered water. Keeping yourself well hydrated enhances your sexuality by helping to maintain your body’s self-moisturizing function, which includes your natural production of vaginal lubrication. When you’re aroused, your vagina’s ability to produce ample lubrication—potentially critical for your sexual pleasure—depends in part on your prior fluid intake.
    Supplements to Reinforce Your Great Sex Diet
    You can guarantee that you’re getting the nutrients you need to support your body and your sexuality by backing up your diet with the right vitamin and mineral supplements. No matter how carefully you eat, you may not always get all the necessary nutrients—because of seasonal unavailability of foods, depletion of minerals in the soil